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Dr. Oz Fights Back Against Critics

Dr. Oz Fights Back Against Critics

After a group of physicians sent a letter to Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons protesting Dr. Mehment Oz's faculty and senior administrative positions in the Department of Surgery, Dr. Oz defended his viewpoints in a segment airing on his popular television show. The 10 physicians who signed the letter argued that Dr. Oz has “manifested an egregious lack of integrity by promoting quack treatments and cures in the interest of personal financial gain…members of the public are being misled and endangered, which makes Dr. Oz's presence on the faculty of a prestigious medical institution unacceptable.” In response, Dr. Oz vowed to not be “silenced” and Columbia University issued a statement supporting academic freedom and faculty members' freedom of expression.

Last year Dr. Oz was criticized by a Senate subcommittee on consumer protection for promoting a green coffee bean extract and Garcinia cambogia as “miracle” and “revolutionary” weight loss products despite weak scientific evidence of their efficacy. A study in BMJ also found that only 46% of the recommendations made on his show were supported by scientific evidence.